Valparaiso (4-9, 1-3) vs. Illinois State (5-9, 2-6)
Redbird Arena, Normal, Illinois; Sunday, 6 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Valparaiso looks for its seventh straight win in the head-to-head series over Illinois State. Valparaiso has won by an average of 9 points in its last six wins over the Redbirds. Illinois State’s last win in the series came on Jan. 27, 2018, a 76-65 win.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: Illinois State’s DJ Horne has averaged 14.1 points while Josiah Strong has put up 11.9 points. For the Crusaders, Donovan Clay has averaged 11.5 points and 5.2 rebounds while Ben Krikke has put up 11.1 points and four rebounds.
CLAMPING DOWN: The Redbirds have given up only 71.6 points per game to conference opponents so far, an improvement from the 77.2 per game they allowed in non-conference play.DOMINANT DONOVAN: Clay has connected on 22 percent of the 50 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 4 of 19 over his last five games. He’s also converted 62.5 percent of his free throws this season.
SUCCESS AT 71: Illinois State is a perfect 5-0 when scoring at least 71 points and 0-9 when scoring 68 points or fewer.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Crusaders have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Redbirds. Illinois State has an assist on 31 of 74 field goals (41.9 percent) over its past three contests while Valparaiso has assists on 38 of 58 field goals (65.5 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Illinois State is ranked first in the MVC with an average of 72.3 possessions per game.
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